


Swim It All Away

by tumblruserpailylove



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: California, Drabble, F/F, Prompt Fic, Swimming, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 10:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15906333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tumblruserpailylove/pseuds/tumblruserpailylove
Summary: prompt fill: Paige goes to the pool for the first time in California





	Swim It All Away

**Author's Note:**

> (Just moving my old works from ffnet and turmblr to here)  
> (I have not re-read or edited any of my old works so sorry if they're horrible)

Paige stood just outside the cold steel double doors. Her hand was wrapped tightly around the cloth handle of the duffle bag she had packed that day. Her eyes were locked on the tiny window that let her see just inside the next room. Her heart twisted in her chest. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t home. She didn’t want to do this.

 

Her mother had pushed and pushed and pushed until finally Paige had given in. The last thing she wanted to do was pull out her swimming gear and go to the local gym and start swimming again but her mother had all but demanded. She didn’t have access to Stanford’s pool yet so her mother had signed her up for the gym.

 

Paige drew in a deep breath, held it for a second, then finally pushed on the bar across the door that clicked open the latch to let her in. She was immediately greeted with the familiar smell of chlorine and the mugginess that an indoor pool always had. It used to feel like a nice warm hug and now it felt like it was suffocating her. She regretted this instantly.

 

Paige stood just inside the door, her eyes on all the people diving in and doing laps. There were two pools. One was obviously set up for recreational swimming. The other was set up for laps. The lap pool was fairly empty. A few people pushed back and forth off the walls but for the most part she would have it all to herself. If she could make it that far.

 

“Can I help you?” A gym employee who had seen Paige just standing there looking a little lost approached her now with a smile.

 

Paige blinked and broke her stare down with the lap pool. She turned her head slowly and put on a very forced smile for the young man in the bright orange employee shirt. “Dressing room?” 

 

He returned her smile brightly then lifted his hand to point her toward the doors at the opposite side of the pool “Ladies are over there. Make sure you shower before getting in and if you need anything else don’t be afraid to ask.”

 

Paige just gave one nod, locked her eyes with the dressing room door, and started to move. Her feet were dragging. Each step felt like she had a cement block tied her her ankle. She did not want to do this. This was the first step to moving forward and moving on in life without Emily and that was the last thing she had wanted to do. But she also had Stanford and her scholarship and she couldn’t squander that. Emily would be so disappointed if she did.

 

So she pushed through the dressing room door and into the locker room area. She found the first open locker and immediately set her keys and phone inside. She let out a sigh and looked around the room. It was pretty empty. She was glad for that. She had always hated changing in a public place.

 

Slowly she managed to find the motivation to get out of her street clothes and into her swimming suit. Of course she used the bathroom stall to change in because that was just the type of person she was. The only person to ever see her naked was Emily. Well, there was that one time her mom walked in on her changing but that didn’t count. Moms don’t count. 

 

Standing now in front of the mirror Paige started to pull her cap over her hair, tucking everything up until no hair was visible. She let out a soft sigh as she stared at herself in the mirror. She felt like a traitor.

 

Moving back to the locker she pushed her clothes and shoes inside before grabbing her phone and checking it. Still no word from Emily. She frowned and opened a new text message. She thought about it for a second before closing the empty message and tossing her phone back into the locker. After slamming it shut she turned and headed toward the pool.

 

Standing now on the side of the pool, she stared at the soft ripples of the water. Part of her just wanted to fall face first into the pool and float there for as long as she could hold her breath. She wanted to feel a little numb. She did not want to enjoy swimming. It didn’t feel right if she couldn’t have Emily there by her side to cheer her on. But, Stanford and Emily’s disappointment came to mind again. She frowned and finally moved to one of the blocks on the side of the pool.

 

She climbed up on the block and started to stretch. Her eyes scanned around her as she did so. No one was paying her any attention. Good. The last thing she wanted was people noticing how good she was at swimming and saying something about it. She did not want to enjoy it or be praised for it. This was business, she thought. This was work.

 

Once she was stretched out she reached up and pulled the goggles over her eyes. She adjusted them until they were right then slowly leaned over on the block. Her fingers gripped the edge and she felt sick. This was not her block. This was not the same block she had launched herself off of for four years in Rosewood knowing that Emily was her anchor. 

 

Her stomach twisted. She almost felt like she might throw up into the water with how she was bent over. But she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and calmed herself down. This is what Emily would want. This is exactly what she needed to be doing for them. Step one was swim. Swim for Stanford. Swim through her education. Swim so Emily could cheer her on in the stands then walk with her home after the meet. A smile came to her lips at the thought. She couldn’t wait to hold Emily’s hand again.

 

The thought gave her strength and with a final breath she launched herself off the block and into the water. Immediately she felt free. It was how she imaged a bird felt when they flew. She was soaring through the water effortlessly, like she was made to do it. She was. Emily had told her time and again that if there was anyone in the world made for the water it was her.

 

Kick after kick, stroke after stroke, breath after breath Paige swam it all away. She swam away Rosewood. She swam away A and Ali and the fear. She swam away the way Emily had begged her to stay. She swam away every bad thought that had filled her head from the moment she had walked away from Emily to the moment right before jumping into the water. Everything disintegrated as she kicked off the wall to swim another lap.

 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It felt like none. But as her arms grew tired and her lung grew heavy she forced herself to stop. She pulled herself out of the pool and as she wrapped the towel around her a smile finally lifted to her lips. The cool of the water that lingered on her skin caused a shiver to move through her. She felt relaxed, at peace, like nothing bad existed in the world.

 

After drying off she headed back to the dressing room to change. She opened her locker and immediately saw her phone blinking with a notification. Her heart leaped and she reached for it so quickly she almost dropped it. Her eyes focused intently as she opened the message that had been sitting there waiting for her. It had been days since she had heard from Emily but there it was when she needed it most, a message of hope.

 

“Remember to always be my champion, Paige. I love you.”

 

Paige nodded and set down her phone. She turned and immediately caught sight of herself in the mirror at the end of the lockers. She eyed herself carefully before a smile came over her lips and she looked away. For the first time since getting to California she felt at peace. Maybe she wasn’t with Emily and maybe she was in a new town but that didn’t matter. Emily was still with her in her heart, cheering her on. It was the first time this new place had felt like home. 


End file.
